


The Monster Prince

by Akumeoi



Category: Final Fantasy XV
Genre: Alternate Universe, Childhood Friends, Despite the tentacle monster this fic is completely G rated, Developing Friendships, Gen, M/M, Middle School, References to Depression, Sleepovers, Social Anxiety, Tentacle Monsters, the monster is just a kid!
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-22
Updated: 2018-12-22
Packaged: 2019-09-23 17:57:45
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 8,147
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17085020
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Akumeoi/pseuds/Akumeoi
Summary: Once upon a time child Noctis unfortunately became a monster boy and then he didn't have any friends, but then Prompto showed up and Noctis suddenly developed friends after all, incurably.





	The Monster Prince

**Author's Note:**

  * For [ninemoons42](https://archiveofourown.org/users/ninemoons42/gifts).



> Dear PJ, Happy Holidays! I hope that you enjoy this fic, the premise of which I chose because... well... you specifically asked me to write it. It's also technically fic of your fic. Thank you so much for all the beautiful works you've gifted me over this past year. I'm glad that we did this exchange because it gave me the chance to give you something in return, as you so deeply deserve. It's been an honour getting to know you and becoming your friend.
> 
> Also, thank you so much to Kaiserin-Astraia for beta'ing and cheerleading this fic. It was difficult to write, so I really appreciate your support.

When Noctis was eight years old, he and his retinue were attacked by a cursed demon as they travelled through the Lucian countryside. Severely wounded, Noctis had been rushed to Tenebrae, where his father sought the aid of the black Witch-Queen Sylva. She had used all of her occult powers and called upon Ifrit, gatekeeper of hell, to bring Noctis back from the brink of death. 

Noctis had been healed completely, but at a cost. You don’t just get that much dark power coursing through you without it leaving a mark. Bits of it were still contained within him, holding his body together and protecting him for the rest of his life. From the places where the demon had injured him on his lower back, black tentacles grew. His skin became mottled with patches of black and grey, his pupils grew slitted, and his tongue seemed to lengthen in his mouth. Noctis was no longer completely human - or so they said at court.

In Tenebrae, plenty of citizens had benefited from the Witch-Queen’s magic, and Noctis had been treated as a normal little boy with a few extra limbs. But as soon as he returned to Lucis, people started avoiding him. The nobles’ children no longer wanted to study with him or have arranged diplomatic “play dates” with him, because he was scary-looking. 

Having six or so new limbs was difficult for Noctis. It seemed like there were too many for him to be able to keep track of them all at once, so unless he was concentrating very hard, they tended to move around like they had a mind of their own. Usually they would do harmless things like curling around the legs of his chair as he sat or wrapping around his body to tightly hug the stuffed garula plush he cuddled with at night. Or they would twitch and curl in boredom like three pairs of twiddling thumbs. 

That was enough to creep most people out. But sometimes it was worse. If Noctis was training with Gladio and he saw Gladio’s wooden staff cleaving towards him, the tentacles would lash out instinctively and grab the staff or Gladio’s arm. The first time that happened, Gladio slapped Noctis and jumped back as the tentacles released in surprise. Then Noctis’s dad and Gladio’s dad had a big argument, and then they tried tying the tentacles to Noctis’s waist during practice but they always slipped free. Gladio took to bapping them away from his body with the practice staff, which he said was to teach Noctis to fight using his actual weapons, but Noctis had a feeling it was because he really didn’t want to be touched by them. Nobody did. 

Because of all this, Noctis developed a very foreboding demeanour. It was hard to say if he was actually radiating dark energies or if the force of his emotional turmoil alone was strong enough to rebuff people who might have wanted to talk to him. 

Now that Noctis had no friends and was too weird to attend public school, his dad had turned to all kinds of remedial measures to try and get him to have some contact with kids his own age. One thing they were trying was a special “elite” class about Lucian history that would be given on weekends at the Citadel. They were trying to peddle it as a big opportunity for children who wanted to get ahead, but it hadn’t worked last semester and Noctis didn’t expect it to work this semester either. Everyone knew it was just a scam to get people to interact with the horrible monster prince.

Today was the first class of the new semester. Noctis was sitting on a couch in a formal receiving room in the Citadel, staring at the opposite wall and trying to ignore the sounds of the new students arriving. His tentacles were curling listlessly around on the carpet, and his grey-mottled hands were clenched in his lap. 

There were four noble children clustered around the door talking to each other and purposefully not looking at him. Noctis had been eavesdropping on them - he couldn’t help it, the wall was certainly not distracting enough to entertain him. Much to his surprise, they all fell dead silent as the door opened and then closed again with a slight click. New footsteps entered the room, and the sound of heavy breathing, like the newcomer had run up a flight of stairs to get there on time. Noctis risked a glance up out of the corner of his eyes, and caught a glimpse of a blond boy he didn’t recognise, not that that meant anything. Probably just another hapless rich kid forced to brave his presence for the chance of social advancement. 

The conversation did not start up again until the blond kid had shuffled a fair distance away from the other kids. Noctis returned to eavesdropping and staring at the wall for a few more minutes, praying it wouldn’t be long until class officially started and they could all get this over with. 

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw the new kid start moving. Noctis tensed up and prayed to Ifrit that he wasn’t coming over to stare at him. His tentacles started clenching around the legs of the coffee table in front of him, and Noctis had to yank them back and shove them under the sofa, where they started knotting around each other instead. By the time he’d regained control, the blond boy was standing almost directly in front of him, his breathing quiet now. 

For a moment, Noctis stared down at his feet and stoically waited for the boy to go away. But he didn’t. He simply stood there. 

“Um, excuse me,” the boy said, a little more loudly than necessary. It was with great effort that Noctis forced himself to look up and make eye contact, scowling hard. 

“What do you want?” he said. 

“Um,” the boy said, playing with the hem of his white shirt. His clothes were not very fancy looking. In fact, he was different enough from the posh kids gossipping at the other end of the room that Noctis’s curiosity was aroused.

“You’re Prince Noctis, right?” the boy practically hollered. Even as Noctis snorted derisively at the question, he continued, “My name’s Prompto. It’s nice to meet you. Um… do you wanna be friends?”

Despite himself, Noctis was taken aback. Under the sofa, the tips of his tentacles stopped writhing around in anger and started curiously creeping forwards again, not that Noctis noticed. 

“Why would you want to be friends with me?” he said bluntly. 

“Well…” Prompto said, shoving his hands behind his back, “Everyone says you don’t have any friends. But I don’t have any friends either. So I thought… I mean… maybe we… I don’t know…”

He stopped, gulping. Noctis’s throat clenched as he sensed Prompto’s heightened fear, and he swallowed bitterly, scowling all the harder. 

“But I’m a monster,” Noctis finished, his gaze dropping to the side. “It’s fine. I get it.” He picked at a spot on the sofa cushion as he waited for Prompto to just go. He could hear his breathing pick up again as he stood in front of Noctis, teetering on the edge of staying and going. 

To Noctis’s utter shock, Prompto leaned in closer. “M - me too,” he whispered in Noctis’s ear. 

A bolt of lightning shot through Noctis’s body. He shot upright, his eyes quickly scanning Prompto for signs of aberrations, but he didn’t see anything like what was wrong with himself.

“What?” Noctis said, and Prompto leaned in again, his voice quiet and faltering as if conferring a deep, dark secret.

“The other kids at school, they say I’m a freak,” he said. “They say I look like I’m a Nif - a-and they say I’m fat - and ugly-”

“You’re not ugly,” Noctis cut in. 

“You’re not either,” Prompto said, with a spark of something like defiance. Their eyes met. Noctis didn’t quite understand what he saw there, because it was complicated, but he felt his heart stir in response for what felt like the first time in months, maybe even years. 

“We can be friends,” he blurted out. Prompto’s face broke into a relieved and delighted smile.

Just then, the door opened and this time it was the teacher who walked in. Had Noctis not been utterly focused on his conversation with Prompto, he would’ve noticed that the noble children had stopped talking some minutes before to goggle at the sight of someone talking to the monster prince willingly. Now they were finally forced to approach him as the teacher called the class over to start the lesson. Normally Noctis occupied his own sofa, but he quickly patted the cushion beside him, then scooted over so that he and Prompto would be sharing one, albeit each positioned at an opposing end so Noctis’s tentacles wouldn’t touch him by accident.

Noctis could _not_ screw this chance at a friendship up, he _wouldn’t_. Mentally, he told his tentacles to _stay!! put!!_ and then anchored four of them to the leg of the sofa, while two more curled over the ornamental pillow behind him. If he focused on each tentacle individually, he could feel the sensation of rough wood or fine fabric underneath of them, and he spent the rest of the lesson doing role call on them to make sure they were, indeed, staying. 

At the conclusion of the lesson, the other students started filing out as quickly as they could without seeming rude, while the teacher stood at the door of the classroom greeting parents, nannies, and tutors as they arrived to fetch their charges. Prompto and Noctis stayed seated at opposite ends of the couch, Noctis’s tentacles half strangling the throw pillow and his dark aura hanging over their heads like a cloud.

“I’ll see you next week?” he offered, looking over at Prompto. 

It took Prompto a minute to summon the courage to speak, pushing back against the darkness emanating from Noctis with a brilliant “Yeah!” Then he blurted out, “Can I bring a camera in the Citadel?”

“Yeah…” Noctis said, hoping that Prompto didn’t take any pictures of him. He didn’t want anyone outside the Citadel seeing how horrible he looked. But he didn’t say that aloud, only warned Prompto, “Just don’t take any pictures without asking.”

“I won’t,” Prompto said nervously. “It’s just, I have some photos I want to show you…”

“Photos?”

“Yeah, I take photos. Do you like cats?” Prompto sounded hopeful.

Noctis didn’t smile, but the air around him seemed to lighten as he said, “I love cats.” Cats were the only animal that he’d met so far which wasn’t just as afraid of him as humans were. He was glad that he and Prompto had an interest in common - and he was gladder still to realise Prompto didn’t want to take any weird pictures of him, he just wanted to share something. The idea of it felt nice.

“Dogs?” Prompto asked.

“They’re okay.”

Prompto looked like he wanted to ask about more animals, but Noctis could see a Crownsguard hovering nearby and knew that he had sword drills to go to now. He shot the guard a pointed scowl.

“Gotta go,” he said to Prompto, hopping off the couch and heading for the door.

“Bye,” Prompto said, waving vigorously as Noctis left the room. 

After a few moments, Noctis popped his head back inside the doorway and said, “Bye,” before following the Crownsguard away.

******

Prompto did bring his camera next week, and he managed to show Noctis a good five or six pictures of cats, and one picture of a dog (he knew Noct didn’t like dogs as much, but it was an extra super cute dog, really), before the lesson officially started. Prompto felt braver with the camera around, since it provided conversation in a pinch. Neither he nor Noctis was very good at talking to the other yet. 

Contrary to what Noctis might think, Prompto was not any more scared of him in particular than he was of every other person he’d ever met. People in general made Prompto anxious. He didn’t understand them at all. The other kids at school were alternately nice to him and mean to him by turns. Sometimes it seemed like the same person would be both things in the same day. Lately, it seemed that they were mean to him more consistently than they were nice of him. 

But when the prince returned from Tenebrae, the other kids had started talking about _him_ the same way they talked about Prompto - in harsh tones, mocking. That’s what had prompted him to even consider signing up for this fancy Citadel class. If Prince Noctis felt how Prompto felt all the time, then he _had_ to - Prompto didn’t want anyone else to feel this loneliness. 

Meeting the prince had gone about as well as Prompto could have hoped it would. Sure, Noctis looked weird, and standing within three feet of him made Prompto feel unaccountably depressed, angry, and scared simultaneously. But maybe other people felt the same way when talking to Prompto because of him possibly being a dirty Nif, he didn’t know. 

Between the dark aura, the fancy clothes, the creepy eyes, and the constant scowl, the one thing about Noctis that didn’t bother Prompto at all was actually the tentacles. When he was bored during lessons, he would notice them cuddling pillows like they were lonely. He wanted to touch one and see if it would wag like a puppy dog’s tail. But it seemed like Noctis didn’t want them to touch him, because he made sure there was at least a foot of space between them and Prompto at all times. 

After class, Prompto and Noctis talked for a few more minutes. Prompto complained there was homework (other kids seemed to do that a lot; he figured it was appropriate) and promised Noctis he’d get another picture of that one black cat that Noctis had really liked. But all too soon, Noctis got whisked away by an official-looking soldier person, and Prompto was left to wander around the Citadel for another half hour, searching for the exit.

And so it went for the next few weeks. Prompto would bring Noctis new pictures at the start of class, they’d talk for a little while before and after class, and then Noctis would have to leave. 

Prompto was just beginning to feel comfortable with this routine, when one day Noctis asked him, “What are you doing after class?” He was straightforward as ever, but his tentacles were twitching a lot under the sofa, so that’s how Prompto knew Noctis wasn’t happy about asking him. 

“Nothing,” Prompto said, hoping that was the right answer.

Noctis looked taken aback. “You wanna study with me some more?” he said, folding his arms and looking straight ahead without making eye contact. Prompto’s heart beat loudly for a moment. More time with Noctis? Did that mean - that they really were friends, that Noctis liked spending time with him?

“Yeah!” Prompto said, and Noctis raised his eyebrows. 

“Never saw anyone that excited to study before,” he said, but the set of his shoulders relaxed. “Fine. We can stay an hour after class… and do homework.”

“Okay,” Prompto agreed happily. All through the lesson he was glancing over at Noctis, thinking about how they would hang out afterwards. Noctis didn’t return his glances, seemingly unaware of them. (The throw pillow was being especially strangled by tentacles today, however.) The lesson droned on forever, and the teacher shot Prompto several stern looks to get him to stop spacing out. Finally, she opened her mouth to reprimand him, but Prompto must have looked so nervous and apologetic as he grabbed his pencil and hastily started taking notes again, that she thought the better of it. Prompto was a model of good behaviour the rest of the lesson.

When it was finally over and the other kids had filed out, Prompto turned back to Noctis, practically bouncing up and down. 

“You wanna see more photos of cats?”

“Uh… sure,” Noctis agreed. Then he scowled. “But they said we could only do this if I finished some of my homework.”

Prompto’s excitement diminished slightly, but he was happy just to be in Noctis’s presence. And in truth, it wasn’t like he had much to say to Noctis other than to show him the cat pictures and ask if he liked any of Prompto’s favourite movies.

“That’s mean,” Prompto said, and Noctis hummed in agreement.

After Prompto showed him the pictures and they briefly discussed Star Wars (Noctis was a fan but he’d only seen the original trilogy), they settled down to work. They were working side-by-side in silence when the door to the room opened and someone poked their head inside. Both Noctis and Prompto instantly looked up. When Prompto recognised the person standing in the doorway his eyes widened to the size of saucers behind the frames of his glasses.

It was King Regis - Noctis’s _dad_. Kings and dads were not things Prompto had a lot of experience with but he did not like where this was going, immediately feeling as if he were about to get in trouble for something. Would the king think he was a distraction from Noctis’s studies, or a bad influence, or a fat Nif?

“Good afternoon, boys,” King Regis said, coming into the room and heading over to sit on the couch that faced the one Noctis and Prompto were on. “I must say, I’m impressed by your studiousness. I expected to find the two of you goofing off.”

Noctis rolled his eyes. Prompto wanted to reply something along the lines of “No, sir!” but he knew that if he opened his mouth he’d blurt it out too loudly and everything would be bad and awkward. 

“It’s fine, Dad,” Noctis said, folding his arms. Regis nodded, casting an appraising glance over both boys. Prompto swallowed, hardly daring to move. 

Clearing his throat, King Regis said, “It’s good to meet you, Prompto.”

“You too, Your Highness…” Prompto said weakly and praying that was an acceptable honorific. He’d heard people call Noctis that, so his dad had to be the same thing, right?

“Just “sir” is fine,” King Regis said, smiling encouragingly. Prompto tried to mirror his smile and hoped he didn’t look stupid. “What part of Insomnia are you from?”

“Minuit,” Prompto said, referring to his neighbourhood in the southern star point of the city. 

“That’s quite a fair distance from the Citadel,” King Regis said. His body language and expression hadn’t changed at all and it was freaking Prompto out. He just looked so - so _regal_. He sat occupied the couch as if it were a throne. “How do you get here?”

“I take the metro…”

“Do your parents escort you?”

Prompto froze up completely. His parents absolutely _did not know_ that he was doing this. Every weekend, he left a note on the refrigerator that said, “At tutoring, be back by 6. I have my cell phone. Love you!” He re-used the same note every week, but he had a feeling that his parents had never once seen it. Prompto knew beyond a shadow of a doubt that if he admitted he didn’t have permission to be here, King Regis wouldn’t let him come and see Noctis anymore.

“Um…” he managed weakly, but he didn’t get any further than that. 

“Dad, leave him alone!” Noctis said, starting forward and laying a tentacle protectively over one of Prompto’s knees. 

King Regis looked between the two boys with a rueful expression. “Well, alright then…” he began. When he saw that Noctis hadn’t backed down and that Prompto still wasn’t making eye contact he conceded defeat and continued, “I suppose I will let you return to your studies. Prompto, I hope to see you again sometime.”

“Yes, sir…” Prompto little more than whispered. The pressure from Noctis’s tentacle against his jean-clad leg increased momentarily as King Regis got up, waved goodbye to both of them, and swiftly departed. 

As soon as he was gone, Prompto let out a deep sigh of relief and began to feel his stomach uncramping. 

“Sorry about that,” Noctis said with a grimace, and Prompto looked up at him with a weak smile to show that he was okay. Then, Noctis glanced down between them. His eyes widened in horror and he practically leapt backwards, his tentacles flying back behind him like a shot. 

“Are you okay?” he demanded, eyes flicking back and forth between Prompto’s leg (where his tentacle had made contact) and his bewildered face. He looked just as freaked out as Prompto had felt moments before when Regis was in the room. His tentacles were writhing in agitation on the sofa behind him.

“Yeah, I’m fine,” Prompto said, pushing his glasses up with one hand. He didn’t get what the big deal was. Being touched by the tentacle had been… well, reassuring and grounding, since Noctis had interposed it between Prompto and King Regis. Seeing that Noctis didn’t look reassured, Prompto added, “Are _you_ okay?”

“I touched you,” Noctis said, still sounding upset. Prompto cocked his head, still trying to understand. Were Noctis’s tentacles really that sensitive? Did it hurt him to touch people? Why didn’t he wear little tentacle socks to keep that from happening? 

“Did it… hurt?” he said tentatively. 

Noctis frowned, his tentacles beginning to cease their frantic motion. After thinking for a moment, he sighed. “Aren’t you scared of me?” he said.

“I thought everyone was,” Prompto said honestly. “I thought I was just supposed to get used to it.” 

Noctis looked away, and Prompto’s stomach clenched.

“We can still be friends, right?” Prompto added, but Noctis didn’t turn back around. Seconds ticked on, and Prompto’s anxiety grew. It had been a mistake to admit he was scared of Noctis. Maybe he didn’t want to be friends with Prompto anymore, but Prompto didn’t know what to say to fix it. 

For long moments, Noctis’s dark aura broadcast turbulent, bitter feelings. Then, something about it shifted. Fear stretched between the two of them like a stifling, cold blanket.

Still looking away, Noctis raised a single tentacle. It hovered in the air between himself and Prompto - a question, asking. 

Prompto reached out a hand, unsure of what he was supposed to do. Noctis’s tentacle inched steadily towards him until his fingers brushed it. Noctis didn’t flinch, but both of them froze. Then, Noctis lowered the tip gently into Prompto’s palm, and Prompto closed his fingers around it. 

The tentacle was smooth, almost velvety, mottled black and grey, pointed at the tip and of uniform texture all around, unlike that of an octopus or squid. It was warm, as any living thing should be. It had no bones, but it was still substantial. “Nice to meet you,” Prompto said solemnly, shaking hands with it. Noctis’s head whipped back around and he stared at Prompto, complete astonishment written all over his features. Prompto couldn’t resist giving the tentacle tip a gentle squish, smiling sheepishly as he did so. He wasn’t afraid of this. He was happy to have his curiosity satisfied.

“Hey,” Noctis protested as Prompto squeezed down softly again, the tentacle tip wriggling in Prompto’s palm like the tail of an annoyed cat being pounced on by a rambunctious puppy. Prompto couldn’t help but smile.

“What does it feel like?” he asked.

Noctis considered. “Feels like you’re holding my hand.”

“It’s like an arm?” Prompto said, trying to make sense of this in his brain. Another tentacle reached out and curled itself around Prompto’s wrist, and he poked it with one finger. 

“Kinda?” Noctis said. “Hey, cut that out,” he added, scowling half-heartedly as Prompto poked him again.

Prompto giggled, poking Noctis a few more times. Secretly, he was almost light-headed with relief that Noctis didn’t seem to be mad anymore. A third tentacle came up and slapped Prompto’s free hand lightly, and Prompto dove for it as it retreated against Noctis’s body, accidentally poking Noctis in the side. 

“Wha - hey!” Noctis said, a giggle escaping his lips though he tried to stifle it. Delighted, Prompto reached out and started tickling him in earnest, earning him some more playful slaps from Noctis’s tentacles and hands both.

“Tickle fight!” Prompto yelled as he grabbed Noctis’s sides with both hands, and Noctis retaliated by shoving a hand up against the sensitive part of Prompto’s neck. 

“You’re gonna pay,” Noctis wheezed between laughs, his tentacles grabbing for Prompto’s wrists as Prompto pressed his head against his shoulder and tried to escape from Noctis’s grasp while simultaneously tickling him in the stomach. The two of them wrestled together for a moment, both laughing uncontrollably, until Noctis managed to grab and hold both of Prompto’s hands with his tentacles while using his hands to tickle him in the stomach.

“Mercy… mercy…” Prompto managed to squeeze out. Tears of laughter were rolling down his face. Noctis relented, letting go and stepping out of Prompto’s personal space, smirking at his victory.

“You cheated,” Prompto whined as he tried to collect himself, wiping his face with each hand in turn. “I wish I had tentacles or extra arms or something so I could keep up with you.”

When he looked up, Noctis was looking at him oddly, frowning again. Prompto tilted his head in question. Catching Prompto’s eye, Noctis hesitated, then gave a small, uncertain smile. His tentacles danced around his feet, still playful. 

“You don’t want to have these,” Noctis said, “but thanks for playing with me.”

“We’re not doing that again!” Prompto said in mock annoyance, but he was already planning a retaliatory sneak attack at some point in the future. A mischievous smile crept across his face as he wondered what else those tentacles were good for. A one man puppet show, made up sports, and a variety of harmless pranks vied for the attention of his imagination. If Noctis wanted to, he could pet _so many cats_. 

First things first was to escape this boring room - and hopefully not run into any other royalty when they did.

*****

A few weeks later saw Noctis and Prompto in a lesson again, Noctis giving Prompto a subtle poke in the hip to try and get him to look down and see the piece of paper sitting on the sofa cushion beside him. 

For the past few weeks, Prompto had been staying after class with Noctis for an extra hour-long study session. Wisely, Noctis’s dad had stayed away from Prompto after their first meeting - Noctis still wasn’t sure what had made Prompto so nervous, but it had been a really weird experience to see someone more afraid of Noctis’s dad than of Noctis himself. The lack of adult supervision had allowed their study sessions to rapidly devolve from actual studying to the two of them talking about cats, TV, and video games. Prompto didn’t have any consoles at his house, and Noctis was dying to introduce him to the ones he had in his room. One hour a week was not enough time together, even though they did have each other’s phone numbers now. 

Seeing that Prompto was unresponsive, Noctis poked him again, but harder. This prompted a small squeak, which interrupted the teacher. She glared at Prompto, turned a calmer but still warning glance at Noctis, and continued her teaching. The other students give Noctis strange looks but Noctis coolly sat there and ignored them. He was sure he was radiating irritation so oppressively that they could feel it, but it was strange how having a co-conspirator (even a half-blind one like Prompto, _look DOWN you idiot_ ) had made him feel stronger in the face of the other kids’ constant judgement.

When no one was looking at him anymore, Noctis shot Prompto an annoyed look and saw, to his relief, that he had finally discovered the note and was now pretending to take notes so he could read it without attracting attention. A few minutes later, he felt Prompto’s hand gently close over the tentacle tip that was innocently poised on the sofa behind him, and then a piece of paper was slipped under that same tentacle. Stealthily, Noctis flexed the tentacle inward to pick up the note, then pulled it close enough to his own hand that he could open it and read Prompto’s reply.

In the centre of the ripped-off piece of notebook paper Noctis had scrawled, “Sleep over today Y/N”. Prompto had emphatically circled the Y. Noctis gave a small smile, tucking the piece of paper underneath his books and returned to paying attention to the lesson.

Once it was over and the other students had filed out, Noctis pulled the note out again and unfolded it. 

“Did you mean it, Noct?” Prompto said, peering over Noctis’s shoulder.

“Yeah, but it’s gonna have to be a secret, cuz I didn’t get permission,” Noctis said. 

“Wait…” Prompto said, looking up and adjusting his glasses nervously. “Are we gonna get in trouble?”

Noctis thought about it for a moment. “Not if we’re sneaky,” he said, and grinned. 

That’s how they ended up walking through the halls of the Citadel, trying to avoid attracting attention even as Prompto panted loudly and looked guiltily around every time they passed an adult. Having seen Prompto climb up a few flights of stairs, Noctis now knew why he always sounded out of breath whenever he entered the classroom at the start of lessons.

“You know, you could take the elevator to class,” he informed Prompto as they hid behind a corner to let a Crownsguard pass by before proceeding. 

“There’s an elevator?” Prompto wheezed. “Why aren’t we using it now?”

“There are more people near the door,” Noctis said, ushering Prompto forward. 

“I need to - to take up _jogging_ if you’re gonna make me do this often,” Prompto complained, still out of breath and lagging behind Noctis a few paces. He seemed to like hiding in Noctis’s shadow, which made Noctis’s chest swell with an emotion he didn’t recognise but which was a little like pride. That was another feeling Noctis wasn’t used to - people feeling protected by him. Normally it was the opposite. He hoped Prompto never changed his mind.

A few moments later, they arrived at Noctis’s bedroom. It was more of a suite, designed to accommodate him as he grew into a teen and eventually an adult. There was a large private bathroom which connected directly to the bedroom. Once the door had clicked shut behind them, Prompto stared around the room in wonder, his eyes round behind the frames of his glasses. Noctis could see his fingers twitching on the camera he had clutched in one fist, and wondered what was so impressive about his bedroom that Prompto wanted to take pictures of it. Possibly the four-poster bed hung with black drapes bearing the Lucis Caelum family crest. Or maybe the living area with the giant flat-screen TV and stacks of DVDs and games that was partitioned off from the rest of the room by the back of the sofa. 

“You like it?” Noctis said.

“It’s fancy,” Prompto said, and his breathlessness made him sound more awed than perhaps he actually was. He carefully set his camera on Noctis’s bedside table, then flopped face first onto the bed with an _oof_. 

“’S comfy,” he said a moment later, his voice muffled by the pillows. Since he was lying on the side that Noctis didn’t sleep on, Noctis didn’t push him out of the way, only sat on the edge of the bed by his feet.

“Get up,” Noctis said, lightly whacking his ankle with one tentacle. “I have to go back to the study room. When they come get me, I’ll say you already went home. You have to hide out here until tonight without me.”

Prompto rolled over, shooting Noctis an anxious look. “What am I gonna do if someone comes in here?”

“Hide in the bathroom. Or I guess you’ll fit in the wardrobe if you have to.” Noctis gestured at the bathroom and the wardrobe with four different tentacles simultaneously. The other two were swaying back and forth gently around his ankles. 

“And what am I gonna eat for dinner?”

“I’ll bring you something,” Noctis reassured him. 

Prompto sighed. “Well, okay…”

“Everything’s gonna be fine,” Noctis reassured him. “We can stay up all night and play video games. It’s gonna be awesome, you’ll see.”

Prompto finally smiled. “Alright, Noct, I’ll see you later then,” he said. He waved goodbye to Noctis as Noctis left the room. 

That afternoon was interminable, even more than the stupid history lessons Noctis usually had to suffer through before his hour of sanctioned study time with Prompto. Because of it, Noctis radiated very unsettling waves, which gave everyone around him the jitters. Noctis didn’t even bother feeling bad about it.

After dinner, Noctis’s schedule demanded he return to his room to have an hour to himself and then get ready for bed. When he arrived, he found the door to his bathroom locked. After Prompto recognised his voice and let him in, Noctis discovered Prompto had spent the entire afternoon hiding in the bathroom just to be extra safe. He’d been sitting in the bathtub playing games on his phone and as a consequence was now complaining his butt was sore. 

“You could’ve sat on the sofa,” Noctis said, amused. 

“Didn’t know if I could hide fast enough if someone came in.”

Noctis just snorted and coaxed Prompto into playing Chocobo Run with him in the living area until they heard a knock at the door. Prompto rushed back into the bathroom as Noctis dove for the remote, and when a maid came in a moment later to make sure the prince was ready to go to sleep, they found Noctis innocently sitting on the sofa with his phone. Noctis hopped into bed and pretended to go to sleep until he heard the door click shut as the maid left. He lay there in the dark for another few minutes, then hopped out of bed and crept back over to the bathroom.

“Prompto?” he said through the door. 

“Are they gone?”

“Yeah, listen. I’m going down to the kitchen to get food. You can come back in my room now. Nobody comes to check on me after 9.”

“Okay,” Prompto said, his voice hushed as he emerged from the bathroom and settled right back on the couch as if nothing had happened. Noctis opened the bedroom door a crack, saw there was no one in the hallway, and slipped out of his room in his PJs and socks. 

Getting to the kitchens while avoiding detection was hard, but easier than it would have been during the day. One of the advantages of being part creature of the night was that Noctis blended into shadows very well. The mottled texture of his skin helped him hide and something about his aura seemed to cloak him further in darkness. Were he to stand stock-still in a patch of shadow, he would be nearly invisible except if a light hit his reflective irises. 

And it also helped that he was small, and could hide behind furniture easily.

When he reached the kitchens, he sweet-talked the cooks still on duty (something he’d done several times before) and pilfered as much plastic-wrapped food as he could carry in his six tentacles - which was quite a significant amount. Then he returned upstairs the same way he had come, albeit somewhat more encumbered. 

Safely back at his room, Noctis slipped inside and locked the door behind him. The room was dark and silent, with no sign of Prompto.

“Prompto?” Noctis called. He looked around, seeing no sign of his friend. The bathroom door hung open, and Noctis glanced inside even though he already knew it would be empty. 

“Prompto?” he tried again, going to dump the food on the bed. For a moment, Noctis was afraid that while he was gone, someone had come in, found Prompto, and taken him away. A pang of anxiety shot through him. 

Then, something grabbed one of his tentacles - and yanked. Noctis let out a yelp of fright and instinctively hopped backwards, only to hear laughter coming from underneath the bedskirt. Recovering himself, Noctis got down on his hands and knees and lifted the bedskirt. Underneath was Prompto, curled up on his side and giggling fit to burst.

“Prompt _o_ ,” Noctis said, drawing out the o in annoyance. Shoving both hands over his mouth, Prompto tried to contain his laugher, but only managed to muffle it. Rolling his eyes, Noctis sat back on his heels even as he reached out with two tentacles to poke Prompto a few times in retaliation. 

When Prompto finally calmed down, he sheepishly rolled out from under the bed, still giggling a little and grinning. 

“It wasn’t _that_ funny,” Noctis said as they sat down on the bed together, the food in a pile between them. 

“You should’ve heard the noise you made,” Prompto said. Noctis let out a huff. “Besides, I never pranked anyone like that before. Is all this food for me?”

“I don’t know what you like…” Noctis said looking over the pile. Maybe he had gone a little overboard, but they’d have enough snacks to feed them all night. 

Prompto considered the pile for a moment more before reaching out to grab something and taking it out of the plastic bag it was wrapped in. 

“Chicken wings,” he said approvingly.

They got through about half of Noctis’s ill-gotten gains. Noctis wasn’t that hungry, but there was something alluring about the idea of eating stolen food with his friend who he had secretly snuck into his room and was planning to completely blow his sleep schedule with. If he was tired enough that they had to physically carry him to wherever he was supposed to go tomorrow, Noctis would consider this visit a success.

After that, they picked up their game where they had left off, but this time with the sound turned down low. They played for hours, past the point of midnight and on into the morning hours, until Prompto couldn’t contain his exclamations every time one of them lost a level. 

“You’re getting too loud,” Noctis reminded him, and Prompto looked guilty, setting the controller down on the sofa beside him.

“Sorry…” he said. “I’m getting kinda tired.” 

“You wanna just talk instead?” Noctis said, making an executive decision. Prompto looked longingly at the TV, then stifled a yawn and gave a sheepish grin.

“Yeah,” he said. Noctis didn’t bother putting everything away, just stashed Prompto’s controller (so the maids wouldn’t find two had been in use), then led a sleepy Prompto over to the bed. Noctis had already put the trash from their dinner into the trash can, but now he put the remaining food on the bedside table on his side of the bed. With the bed cleared off, Noctis was able to hop underneath the covers and curl up facing Prompto on the other side.

Meanwhile, Prompto took off his shoes and trousers, setting them under the bed where he’d left his schoolbag before climbing into bed in his boxers and t-shirt. Noctis had expected him to sit on top of the covers, but he snuggled underneath instead - and promptly discovered Noctis’s garula plushie. 

“Who’s this?” he said, in the voice he adopted when talking to or about cats. 

“That’s mine,” Noctis said, swiping the plushie and tucking it beside him. “His name’s Mr. Loaf,” he muttered after a moment.

“I have a chocobo plushie at home,” Prompto said - and at the mention of Prompto’s _home_ Noctis froze, a horrible realisation crashing through him. 

“Prompto…” he said weakly. “Do your parents know you’re here?” 

It was one thing for Prompto to be found by palace staff, who would just scold Noctis for his indiscretion and send Prompto home. But if Prompto’s parents didn’t know where he was - maybe they’d call the police, and Prompto would get in big trouble.

Prompto was quiet and Noctis’s stomach clenched. 

“I texted them,” Prompto said.

“Did they answer?” Noctis said, his voice urgent but quiet. 

“No… but it’s fine.”

“But what if you get in trouble?” Noctis pressed, and Prompto sighed.

“They won’t notice,” he said at last, his voice small. Noctis felt an answering twinge of sympathy but he didn’t understand why.

“Why won’t they notice?”

“They never notice what I do.” Prompto snuggled under the covers further, until most of his face was covered by blankets and Noctis was looking at his messy tufts of blonde hair and blue-violet eyes that wouldn’t meet his. “They’re always out. They don’t know I come here at all.”

Noctis considered what Prompto had said. It was probably not good that Prompto’s parents didn’t know he was taking classes here. But the bigger problem was the bitterness and loneliness that Noctis could hear in Prompto’s voice. It was weird for Noctis to imagine having the freedom to just go wherever he wanted and know that nobody would be looking for him. The idea appealed to him. But the idea of being alone… Noctis didn’t have to think about that to imagine how painful it was.

After running through several potential responses in his head, Noctis settled on, “I’m glad you’re here.”

Prompto’s eyes crinkled at the corners and Noctis knew that he was giving a tiny smile. Then he realised that two of his tentacles had draped themselves over Prompto’s body, perhaps to offer comfort. It was hard to push past his old instinctive reaction to immediately pull them away, but Prompto hadn’t reacted as if he’d noticed at all.

“Prompto…” Noctis started. He had to pause, to try and come up with a way to phrase the question that wouldn’t sound… weird. “I can’t always control my tentacles. And other people are scared of them. Is it really okay if I - if they touch you?”

“I don’t mind,” Prompto said solemnly. His hand closed over one of the tentacles draped over his waist and he held it gently, his action seeming to say _you are my friend, you’re safe with me_. Comforted, Noctis relaxed. The tension in his body drained away, and the other four tentacles began to curl softly at his sides, one of them reaching out to snuggle Mr. Loaf. 

“Do the grey parts of your skin feel different than the normal parts?” Prompto said, grabbing Noctis’s arm and pressing down with his thumb on a dark grey splotch on Noctis’s forearm.

“No… Do they look weird?” Noctis said nervously as Prompto let go.

“They look cool. Like a Dalmatian.”

“Do my teeth scare you?”

“Um…” Prompto said, as Noctis opened his mouth to demonstrate how pointy they were. “Just don’t bite me.”

“My tongue?” Noctis stuck it out as far as it could go, which was almost all the way down to his chin.

“Don’t lick me!” Prompto said, grimacing as if to say _eww!_

“What about my eyes?” Noctis opened his eyes wide, knowing Prompto would be seeing slitted pupils and a slight silvery glow if light was hitting them directly.

Prompto hesitated. “Yeah… those are kinda creepy.”

Noctis looked away. At least he could count on Prompto to be honest with him, which meant he wasn’t lying when he said that Noctis’s other features didn’t bother him. But why did it have to be this way? Why did Noctis have to be such a freak, and scare all the people he cared about?

“Should I - not look at you?” Noctis said quietly. Prompto plopped both of his palms against the sides of Noctis’s face until Noctis looked up at him again.

“They’re creepy in a _cool_ way, and I like them,” Prompto insisted, and Noctis couldn’t help but snort and roll his eyes, feeling a little bit better. 

“You’re cool too, Prompto,” he muttered, and was surprised to feel Prompto’s arms wrapping around him and pulling him into a hug. Before he had time to think about it, two more of his tentacles were reaching out to hug Prompto back, one twining around his waist and the other around his leg. 

“Thanks for being my friend,” Prompto said, his voice muffled against Noctis’s neck. Noctis hugged him back, not finding the words to say that it was he who should be thanking Prompto. 

Noctis had expected Prompto to pull away after a moment, but he didn’t. (He couldn’t, with four of Noctis’s tentacles wrapped around him so snugly.) They lay entwined together, Noctis’s breaths ruffling Prompto’s hair. Noctis felt warm and peaceful. His tentacles were still, having finally ceased their restless twining. This was the closest Noctis had been to anyone in years, and it felt good. The feeling was too big for him to name or describe, but if he’d had the words he would’ve said _wanted_ , he would’ve said _needed_ , he would’ve said _safe_ , he would’ve said _peaceful_ , and he might even have said _loved_.

“Noct,” Prompto said quietly. 

“Mm?” Noctis replied, pulled back from the border of sleep.

“’m not scared anymore…”

Noctis’s eyes opened. He could see that Prompto’s were closed, could feel Prompto’s body completely slack and trusting in his arms and tentacles. And he - he himself - he felt different than how he normally did. He realised - 

“Me neither,” he whispered. He could tell that there was still dark energy radiating from him, but it felt calm now, more neutral and clean, more close to the skin - the way heat radiated naturally from any living body. And his heart was at peace.

Prompto made a contented little noise, his hands clutching at the back of Noctis’s shirt for a moment before relaxing again. Noctis let his eyes fall closed, and sank down into a sweet haze of sleep.

******

The next morning, Noctis woke to the sound of someone knocking on the door, shoved Prompto off the bed, and admitted the servant bringing breakfast. She was visibly amused at the little pile of leftovers still on the bedside table, which distracted her long enough to keep her from noticing a confused and sleepy Prompto obediently crawling under the bed to hide. After she had gone, Noctis looked under the bed to find that Prompto had fallen back asleep there. He dragged Prompto back out from under the bed, then shoved him out into the hallway so he could make his way home from the Citadel. Their little sleepover had been an unqualified success, and it would be the first of many.

After the class finished and the summer holidays started, Prompto spent several days per week at the Citadel with Noctis (sanctioned by King Regis). Prompto was invited back to take the follow-up class the year after. He’d spend the rest of his school career getting special tutoring at the Citadel alongside Noctis, and sleeping over whenever he could. 

During Prompto’s second year of Citadel classes, the nephew of the Citadel’s maitre d’hotel, Ignis Scientia, was blinded in an accident and received the blessing of the Witch-Queen of Tenebrae to heal him. As Ignis had been left with permanently dark, blank eyes, ringed with black smoke (though able to see), Mr. Scientia had seen an opportunity for Prince Noctis to make a friend and for his nephew to socially advance at the same time. Ignis was invited from Tenebrae to Lucis and Prompto and Noctis’s friend duo would soon become a trio.

Later, Gladio would be able to spark a friendship with the calmer and wiser Ignis, which helped him overcome his general repulsion towards the Witch-Queen’s spells, and repair his battered relationship with Noctis, so the friend trio would become a quartet.

Later still, Noctis’s tentacles would become strong enough that he could hold a grown man up with just two. Though theoretically black, his heart became just as strong. Prompto shed much of his anxiety in public, though Noctis remained the person he was most comfortable around.

Later still, Prompto and Noctis would fall in love, which would precipitate some soul searching on Prompto’s part; whereupon he would discover that because of how he had been pining over Noctis emotionally and physically he had also inexplicably developed a tentacle fetish. Noctis would laugh when he told him, and say that was lucky, but then shyly add if Prompto had wanted to be with him without any of _all that_ he would surely find a way to make it happen. Prompto assured him that that wouldn’t be necessary…

Even later, the monster prince would become the monster king; Noctis and Prompto would get married, proving that even two fearsome monsters can get a happily ever after.

**Author's Note:**

> This fic was based on a smut fic Ninemoons did, which you can read [here](https://archiveofourown.org/works/16312886). Warning: fic is NSFW! Also, our two takes on the Noctis + tentacles situation are very different. Hers is more of a Venom crossover whereas I tried to integrate the tentacles into an alternate FFXV lore. 
> 
> I hope that these two seem appropriately like middle schoolers. I'm not that good at writing kids.


End file.
